Tuesday, March 6, 2012

A Grocery Store Trip To Remember

Growing up I loved going to the grocery store. My Dad and I went together on Saturday mornings. It was our time. While I still enjoy it, I don't look forward to it like I used to. Since I don't enjoy cooking for one, the foods I purchase are much more mundane, so the trips themselves often leave much to be desired.

After putting the trip off for more than a week, there was no getting around the grocery store today. I proceeded to get my cart and scurry through the aisles as quickly as possible during my lunch break...head down so as not to be distracted by anyone. Thankfully, the lines were short today. I began to place my items on the conveyor belt...happy to be in and out in record time...when I heard a voice from behind me.

The lady behind me in line appeared to be in her mid 50s and said she couldn't help but notice the book in my purse and wanted to know what it was about. Now that I'm back in school, it's not uncommon for a book to find its way into my purse, so off the top of my head I had no clue what book she could be talking about. A quick look brought a smile to my face. She was looking at my copy of Made to Crave.

Made to Crave was written by my sweet friend, Lysa TerKeurst, and it uses the idea of food to show how we were created to crave more than just food...we were created instead to crave God. While many tell of pounds lost due to journeying through the book, Lysa is quick to point out that the book was not written as a weight loss book at all. The book was written to help all of us get to the core of who we are and what we are wrongfully craving more than our Heavenly Father.

As I explained the premise of the book, the sweet ladies eyes filled with tears. She began to tell me that she had struggled with bulimia for years and had only recently gotten out of a treatment center. I stood in the check out lane in awe. As she spoke, I knew that this was no "chance" meeting. This was God ordained. I began rifling through my book...pulling out all of the little post it notes that I had stuck in it along the way. With underlines and highlights, it wasn't brand new, but I knew that this book was supposed to go to my new friend. Despite her protests for me to keep the book, I placed it in her hands and quickly prayed that the Lord would bless her reading it just as he did mine.

Thinking that was as good as it could possibly get for the day, I turned around to the cashier to pay for my groceries. I slid my debit card and typed in my pin only to find out that it had been declined. How in the world could that be? I knew I had much more than enough. Embarrassed, I glanced down at my card and noticed that it had expired last month. As I was trying to see if it would be possible to hold my groceries while I ran down to get cash (the grocery store I was shopping at only takes cash and debit), my new friend stepped up and insisted that she pay. I tried to stop her, but her card was run before I had the chance to put up a fight.

As I fought back the tears while bagging my groceries, I couldn't help but smile as I heard the cashier discussing the series of events with the gentleman behind us in line. The man mentioned he could hardly wait to get home so he could tell his wife all about it. The cashier was just surprised that things like that even happened anymore.

Before I left, I gave my new friend a hug, thanked her for her generosity and assured her that I would be praying for her. While it's true I may never know what becomes of the book or my friend Linda, I know without a shadow of a doubt that God ordained every detail of the grocery store encounter today...and that leads me to believe that He's not through working in the situation!

How beautiful are the feet that bring good news! You are indeed beautiful, my friend and I am glad that God chose you to bring good news to this woman at the store today and her to you - the news that God will use you in the most unexpected places. Thanks for sharing!

WOW! Love when things like this happen. Who knows what affect its going to have not only on that woman but on people you may never know- this side of Heaven. The cashier went home and told somebody who told somebody who felt God speaking to them in the story!